Convergence
by TheVerbalThing ComesAndGoes
Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots.
1. For a short time, she was standing there

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots

Disclaimer: Chapter titles belong to the band Weddings, Parties, Anything. Craig and Ellie, obviously, don't belong to me.

**A/N**: Just a series of Craig/Ellie one-shots that have taken over my mind and refuse to leave until I post them.

* * *

_convergence n. - the occurrence of two or more things coming together_

_(Tag to "Weddings, Parties, Anything")_

_Regret__. _

Ellie knows it well, feels it find its place beside her as she stands, holding band equipment and watching Manny in her flashy skirt and top that might as well be a bra as Craig insists that she should be a part of this, that he owes her one, because she's had a rough year. And Ellie thinks with a sneer and deprecation, when _hasn't _she had a 'rough' year - usually of her own doing?

_Stupid_, she curses herself as she stumbles in the shoes she never wears on her way to her drum set. A drummer in heels—what the hell was she thinking?

Her fingers nervously find their way to the pendant around her neck and Craig looks up just as she is twisting it around her finger, practically cutting off blood circulation. He smiles, shy and slow, and on his face is the look she's been searching for all night and she's thinking it just might be worth it.

_Disappointed_.

All she feels when he looks at her and takes her hand in his, a gesture that reeks of friendship and can not, despite her efforts, transcend the level of platonic idealism. She turns her head so he can't see the tears pooling in her eyes.

_Pathetic_, she thinks as she blinks them back. "See you in group," she bites back sarcastically. She realizes the hardened edge to her voice is overcompensating for the ache in her chest, but the only thing she is focused on is getting out of here, leaving him and this horrible night behind.

But he grabs her wrist before she can turn around and she is this close to begging to just let her go, to just let her pretend this never happened. "You didn't let me finish," he insists. He is hard to ignore when he insists- his eyes go wide in the perfect imitation of the long lost puppy she has always wanted.

He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him.

Before she can say another word, his mouth is on hers as she is flush against him, enjoying the fact that she fits the mold of his body perfectly.

_Relief_.


	2. If you want anything, just say the word

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots

* * *

_convergence n. - a state of inclination toward each other  
_

She thinks about calling him before she comes over, but decides that for once, she will try not to think so much. (After all, it has never really helped her before.)

It's late, somewhere around midnight when she leaves her house to go to his, her sore wrist bare and hurting and she is wearing shoes without socks. Her feet, needless to say, are nearly numb with cold by the time the knuckles of her fist are rapping against the window of his garage door.

He opens the door and pulls her in without a word, his fingers finding their comforting spot on her wrist.

They lay side by side on his couch, her head on his chest and his arm safely around her waist, his fingers threading through her hair. His hands always seem to know what to do before he does.

She closes her eyes, and let's herself pretend, that for now, those hands can make everything better.


	3. Oh, won't you meet me under the clocks

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots

* * *

_Convergence n. - __similarity of form or structure caused by environment_

_(Post "Secret")_

He stares at his shoes for a full minute before looking up at her.

Ellie is startled by the intense focus of his gaze, surprised by the fact that he doesn't seem at all disturbed by her presence. He speaks before she can ask if he's mad about this pseudo-ambush Ashley planned, the one she wanted no part of.

"...Are you hungry?"

"Uh, sure. Yes. I mean, I could eat."

They share a basket of fries at the Dot and he pays for her strawberry milkshake. Conversation topics revolve around anything and everything but the forty five minute session they've just shared. It's nice.

"Ketchup _and_ mustard?"

"What? It's good. The only _true_ way to eat fries," she insists.

She offers him the opportunity to see for himself, he concedes (and agrees) and when her knee brushes against his underneath the table, he doesn't pull away. He smiles, actually, a dab of mustard at the corner of his mouth. She's certain she probably looks no different.

And she knows that they're okay.


	4. What we once had will not come again

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots

* * *

_Converge v. - __to have a finite limit  
_

_(Tag to "What's It Feel Like to be a Ghost?")_

He should say something.

Ellie is looking at the space above his shoulder, at the floor just beneath his feet, the people passing them by who probably assume they're just a normal couple, putting off saying goodbye because they don't want to have to wait to see each other again - she is not looking at his face, not into his eyes. She refuses to look him in the eyes.

He really should say something. Something, _anything_ that will negate and erase all the shit that he's just put her through.

Realistically, Craig knows, that isn't possible. But he can still hope. He can still _say something_.

He should say something.

"I meant what I said before—" He reaches for her hand but she is too far. Too close. Too much for his warped mind to wrap itself around and understand. He doesn't know what he's doing.

She shakes her head, and backs away from him quickly. Craig swallows back the lump in throat, hopes there aren't tears in his eyes (because he's emotionally manipulated her enough as it is already). "No. Don't. Just…get on the plane, Craig. Get help."

"I will. But when I get out…maybe we can—"

"_No_. I can't do this. Not now. Not with you, Craig." She's leaving him, or maybe he's leaving her - it's hard to tell what's right and what's left when he's still coming down from his high - but either way he wants to say something to keep it from happening.

But it does:

She walks away.


	5. A daughter of charity you'll never be

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots

* * *

_Converge v. - __to have a finite limit  
_

_(Sometime after "Going Down the Road")_

"...So how is he?"

Ellie can hear it in her voice. Ashley is so sure what the answer will be; in Ashley's mind there is only _one_ possible answer. She's expecting dramatic tales of a distraught Craig throwing out his meds again, running away or attempting suicide or both, forever giving up on his love of music, unable to cope with the idea of living with out her. That is Ashley's bubble of reality, one that Ellie has no problem popping.

She has always resented Ashley's sense of entitlement, always hated the fact that she seems to feel she has a right to know everything, has a right to have Craig's life be in ruins over her. _It's not her right_, Ellie thinks indignantly. Not anymore.

"He's fine."

"Really? He's sticking to his meds? Everything's going fine? He's staying in school and everything?"

Ellie rolls her eyes, switches the phone to her other hand so she can lay down and avoid a headache. "Yeah. Nobody thought he'd do okay without you. Including me. But he's…fine." The words are meant to sting and she knows from Ashley's stunned silence that they have hit their mark.

Still, Ellie finds it strange that it isn't a lie. Not completely.

She smiles.


	6. In a land both warm and sweet

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots

* * *

_Converge v. - __to meet or cause to meet; join _

_(Between "Going Down the Road" and "Venus")_

This is their summer:

Dew drops on blades of grass that fit just between the cracks of her fingers; dandelions that he likes to pluck and make private wishes as he blows them into the wind, then watch as their seeds twine through the strands of her hair.

Vintage tank tops, ripped jeans, and bare feet, toenails painted in the only shade of pink she owns.

He asks for her input on G-chords and time changes, writes lyrics with her in mind but never tells her that she's the one he's thinking of.

She brushes the dust off her drumsticks because the constant rhythm reminds her of his fingertips, tapping on her thigh as he teaches her something about music theory.

In a bed of itchy grass by a set of rusty swings, his hand finds the palm of hers, seeking out a moment of bravery.

This is their summer.


	7. Chasing a dream through greenfields

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots

* * *

_Convergence n. - the __independent development of similar characters_

Jesse's hands are different. They're softer, not characterized or defined by guitar string induced calluses or the effort it takes to make yourself become apart of an instrument.

Then again, her mind muses, Craig doesn't have any tattoos.

Jesse emits calm and sensibility and the occasional spontaneity - but not too much. Craig is a mystery she can never be sure of, never get enough of. And he is always spontaneous when he shouldn't be.

There are nights where she dreams of him. She can never remember any specifics or details, but she will always remember the relief, and sense of belonging. In her dreams, it is more than okay.

When she wakes up, her face buried in Jesse's plain t-shirt, she's caught off guard and stops herself before the disappointment can settle over her.

_Settle. _It's a struggle for her mind not to dwell on that word and its meaning.

She closes her eyes, wonders if that all this amounts to now - settling for what hurts less, settling for second - and really hopes that is not the case.


	8. He hums a tune I've learnt to hate

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots

* * *

_Convergence n. -__ a representation of common ground_

She meets Andy outside of a used bookstore.

His denim jacket is ripped at the elbows, fraying at the shoulders, and his grandfather's guitar is strapped to his back. His hazel eyes sparkle as he smiles when he looks up from the 20 percent off _Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer _paperback in his hands and he doesn't have to do much else to convince her to see him again.

When she introduces him to Marco, he asks if she's finally found her "replacement". She doesn't ask what he means by that. (She has an idea, but this is one of few instances where she'd rather remain blissfully ignorant.)

Several mornings later, while she makes coffee, Andy sings the bars to "My Window" in her shower at the top of his lungs, mixing up the words and screwing up the order of the lyrics but somehow still that damned song manages to get under her skin. Her concentration breaks and the coffee pot slips from her hands.

She doesn't even realize what she's done until Andy hands her the broom to sweep up the mess of broken glass at her feet.


	9. For a long time you never thought of her

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots

* * *

_Convergence n. - the occurrence of two or more things coming together; a representation of common ground_

The nondescript and nameless corner store in Vancouver only has three aisles but there's a sale on potato chips that he's been pathetically looking forward to. It's 3 AM on some Tuesday or Wednesday (he's not the one in charge of memorizing dates) when he thinks he sees her.

He stops, a bag of salt n' vinegar in one hand and a pack of Newports in the other, and waits for something magnificent or spectacular to happen.

Nothing does.

The girl behind the cash register has hair a color Craig has only seen once in his life and she's so engrossed in the book in her lap she doesn't look up until he tosses the pack of cigarettes and the chips onto the counter in front of her.

She looks up at him and immediately his heart sinks. Her eyes are blue, her face is rounder and not shaped with the elegance he's used to.

"Have you _not_ seen those Truth commercials? Rat poison, arsenic, other unrecognizable chemicals…yeah definitely things I want in _my_ body. Why don't you just slit your wrists? It's a much more dramatic and quicker way to commit suicide."

Same sarcasm, same tone that suggests she couldn't be more bored of the world. He almost opens his mouth to ask if they're related. "That'll be $7.99, please." She rolls her eyes when she forces out the pleasantry she doesn't mean.

"Thanks." It's mumbled, but he means it.

As he walks back to his hotel room, he puts the pack of cigarettes in his pocket, unopened. His phone in his hands, he thinks about calling her, wonders if she's thinking about him.

He can only hope.


	10. You are looking so forlorn

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots.

**A/N**: found a couple more of these in some obscure folder on my computer & i didn't want to just leave them there... (and a thank you for your reviews :)

* * *

_Convergence n. - confluence; coming together_

_(Sometime during "Degrassi Goes Hollywood")_

He holds her hand on the way to the airport.

He thinks it's strange, at first, how their roles have become reversed, how two years ago she was the one telling him to hold it together—though it was with words and not physical contact. But Craig knows that had more to do with how much he'd hurt her and less to with how she felt about him.

He also knows, as she slides her fingers between his, her gaze still fixed out the taxicab's window, that was then and this is now.

He rests their interlocked fingers on top of his thigh, then nudges her knee with his. "Hey."

"Yeah?" She turns to face him, finally.

"You're going to be okay, you know."

She shakes her head, and her eyes tear up. In spite of the numerous times that it's happened this weekend, he's still not quite used to the sight. "It's not that simple." Ellie sighs, a heavy, loaded sigh that makes him ache.

"...But I hope you're right."

_Me too, _he thinks.


	11. Though I'm young, I'm oh so very tired

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, sadism - she lets him. A series of Craig/Ellie one-shots.

_

* * *

_

_convergence n. - the degree or point at which lines or objects converge _

It's on a Tuesday when he notices the change.

She hasn't been saying much in group, discussing only the required bare minimum, but never indulging in any important details. She is pulling back, he realizes, taking her shroud of darkness and wrapping herself in it. He watches as she fiddles with her necklace, his eyes following the trail of her fingers from the nape of her neck to the pendant resting at the base of her throat.

She catches him, wide eyed and observing her, and frowns. He looks away.

They continue like this for the next couple of days and Craig isn't sure that if he were to say something to her at school then she would respond well. So, he follows her out after the next group session.

He finds her, waiting outside, looking at the ground and it isn't until he's a couple of feet away that he notices the smell of cigarettes. "I didn't know you smoked."

Ellie looks up, though if she's surprised to see him, Craig isn't able to tell. Her face is completely blank. "I don't."

"Oh. Okay."

She sighs, looks down at her feet and he doesn't miss the quick movement of her fingers, sliding under the rubber band around her wrist. When Ellie looks up again, her heavily lined eyes are red-rimmed. "My father did. I just...missed the smell I guess."

"Ellie-" He stops, not entirely sure what he should say. He knows, from the little she's spoken in Group, that her father was due back home a few months ago, but that it just kept getting pushed back and now she's not entirely sure when the next time he'll be able to come home will be.

"I'm fine, okay, Craig? You don't have to worry about me. You can go back to writing Ashley disgusting, moony love letters to send to London." She pulls back on the rubber band, and he watches her face - she doesn't flinch- at the sound of it _snap, snap, snapping_ against her skin. She continues the action until Craig can't stand it anymore and he pulls on her shoulders to get her to sit on the set of steps next to him.

"I'm fine...I-I'm fine." He nods, waiting, knowing that all she needs is time.

"...I just, I really, _really_ need him here."

"I get it."

She seems dubious at first, then she lets out a dry laugh, roughly brushing the tears from her eyes and smearing her makeup, before resting her head on his shoulder, her hand on his arm. "Of course you do."


	12. You might have cried then if you could

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. A series of Craig/Ellie one-shots.

* * *

_Convergence n. - the manner of approaching a finite limit  
_

_(Takes place during _"_What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?")  
_

Really, the coke shouldn't have surprised her; as far as self-destruction goes, drugs really are the best route and Craig has always been the King of self-destruction. (She's not entirely sure who the Queen would be, though she's sure she'd probably be somewhere in the running.) But, in spite of herself, in spite of _him, _she had hope that time on the road had changed Craig's typical behavior of ruining anything good in his life.

Mostly, though, Ellie was disappointed because he'd lied to her. Twice. And she'd been foolish enough to believe him.

She, in the words of Jesse, "just kept going back for more". Maybe it's a personality flaw, or an old instinct that she doesn't think she'll ever grow out of left behind from caring for her mother, cleaning up the messes of puke stains on the carpets and scattered slices of glass from broken bottles on the hardwood floors.

She waits for him outside of the door leading to Group, looks at her watch for the eleventh time since she got here. Two minutes. Craig is an artist, so a propensity for lateness is practically an inherent trait, and she tells herself that he'll be here. He told her he'd be here. And she wants to believe that he wouldn't lie to her again. Not about this.

Five minutes come and go and Ellie tugs on the handle to the door, slowly, taking glances over her shoulder, still waiting. Always waiting.

Group begins and ends without him and Ellie adds yet another lie to the list.


	13. You feel more for a girl you barely kiss

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots

_

* * *

convergence n. - __a measure of this_

There are a few things that they don't talk about.

He knows that he can depend on her to be there for him when he asks (and, sometimes, even when he doesn't - which is admittedly both annoying and unexpectedly comforting). He's told her, after some gentle prodding and poking, about the first time his father hit him and the last time Craig tried to fight back. She's confided in him in bits and pieces about how much Ellie misses her father - which oddly enough, he can understand - and guiltily resents her mother. And for some reason that Craig is not completely sure of, she trusts him just as equally as he trusts her.

He knows about (almost) every aspect of her life and yet, he has never seen her scars.

It's something he's never really thought about until now.

They're supposed to be studying - well she's studying, while he absently listens to her prattle off facts about the French Revolution as she catches her bottom lip between her teeth, a habit of hers he's noticed only surfaces when she's deep in thought, checking to make sure he's listening every so often by nudging him, her legs sprawled across his lap.

But Craig's attention is more or less captivated by her sleeves, which, every so often, rise up and expose her wrists. He's not sure if he's more fascinated by her skin (pale, yet smooth) or the faint, barely visible scars that cover it. The scars that, every so often, he can only get a glimpse of.

It's distracting, to say the least.

He's so hypnotized by her movements that he forgets himself for a moment.

At least until she slides her legs off his lap and nudges her knee into his side - hard - to get his attention.

"What?"

"You're not listening to me."

"Sure I am. Peasants revolted, kingdom was overthrown, Marie Antoinette was thought of as insensitive and immature and everyone pretty much hated her. Which explains the whole beheading bit. Good stuff. Did I leave anything out?" he asks, feigning a yawn.

Ellie rolls her eyes. "Is this your subtle way of asking to take a break?"

"I think I deserve one. I've been a model student so far."

"_'So far'_ being the key phrase."

"Break. _Please._"

She sighs, pretending to be annoyed - he knows her well enough to recognize when she's _genuinely _aggravated by his antics - and rolls her eyes again. She turns her head to hide the small smile gracing her lips, but he still notices. "Fine." Her hand outstretched towards him, she offers to pull him up off the couch.

They're in his kitchen when Craig gets distracted again. She's leaning against the counter next to him, slowly sipping a glass of iced tea while they wait for a bag of popcorn to finish in the microwave. This time she notices and tilts her head to catch his gaze, arching an eyebrow in curiosity. "What?"

"What, what?"

"You're staring at me. Do I have something on my face or what?" Craig takes the glass from her hands, eyes sweeping across her arms again, before taking a sip.

"I wasn't _staring_. Don't be so conceited, Elle," he lies, smiling when she scoffs. His hand is on her wrist though, and he can't help but think yet again of what he's seen. They're both quiet, until the sound of the microwave dinging interrupts their comfortable silence.

There are things they don't talk about and there are things he can't help wanting to know about her. He knows about (almost) every aspect of her life and yet, he has never seen her scars.

He'll ask her when the time is right.


	14. I couldn't tell you what it means to me

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots.

_

* * *

Convergence n. - the occurrence of two or more things coming together  
_

She never expected that they'd have an awkward "morning after".

The night before had gone well, so much better than expected, but then, suddenly Ellie woke up with a naked Craig beside her and the reality of their situation seemed to just collapse over top of them, as he they awkwardly try to maneuver around the other to get to the bathroom.

"You can go first," she insists at the same time he asks, "Do you mind if I-?"

There's an awkward silence shared for a moment before she steps to the side and Ellie goes into the kitchen while Craig uses the bathroom.

She's sitting at the table, holding a mug of freshly brewed coffee and nervously chewing on her bottom lip when he walks into the kitchen. "Hey."

"Hey."

"So. Last night..."

She arches an eyebrow, waiting for him to finish but he's looking pointedly at her and that's when she realizes he's waiting for her. She smiles, rolls her eyes good-naturedly. "Last night was good, Craig. Great, even."

"It was?"

"Yes." She laughs. "So can we cut the weirdness now?"

He leans forward to kiss her, keeping his palms flat against the tabletop to balance himself. "We most certainly can."


	15. What you say and do are worlds apart

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots.

* * *

_convergence n. - the act of moving toward conformity  
_

Craig first hears about the news of her engagement through Jimmy.

He doesn't even want to tell him at first, Craig can tell, but after minutes of hemming and hawing Craig finally manages to break him down to get the necessary details.

Apparently, Ellie is engaged to some guy none of them have ever met before (not even Marco, as it turns out - though that's probably because he can't keep a secret to save his life) named Elliott. Elliott works either in marketing or real estate, some business that couldn't be further away from having anything to do with the arts, and was apparently a jock in his high school days. And except for the alliteration thing, Craig has no idea what could possibly be appealing enough to continue the relationship all the way to the altar.

Craig also can't help but wonder why it is that he's never even met the guy before.

In the back of his mind, he can still hear Ellie going on one of her feminist rants about how marriage is basically a legal version of slavery and all kinds of pessimistic ideals he basically disagreed with but loved to hear her talk about, because she didn't get passionate about anything often.

Craig never thought, that out of all of them, _Ellie_ would be the one to get married first. Or at all. (Or if he did, it's not as if Craig thought that _he_ would be the one person who could change her mind. He _didn't_.) But, apparently, her mind's made up and she's going to go through with it. Or so she keeps telling him.

"Say something." Ellie's fiddling with the diamond ring on her left finger and it just looks so..._ odd_ and she looks so different with her hair pulled back tight and she's dressed in some sort of black business-like suit that he'd never thought he would see her wear and he almost doesn't recognize her. "Craig? Please?"

"What do you want me to say, Ellie?" He tells himself he's more hurt by the fact that she didn't tell him first (and not by the fact that it seems, from the steely determination in her eyes, that she's actually serious about this).

"Anything."

"...Are you happy?"

Ellie looks pissed immediately and pushes the coffee cup away from her with such force that some of the black liquid spills over the rim and onto the table. _So 'anything' but that apparently. _She doesn't make a move to clean it up. "What the hell kind of question is that?"

He shrugs. "A legitimate one."

She scoffs, shaking her head and avoiding eye contact. "Because if I'm not with you then I can't _possibly _be happy, right?" She looks out the window for a moment.

"That's not what I meant."

"Could have fooled me."

"I just - I don't understand. You always said the idea of marriage was _'antiquated_' and _'unrealistic_'. You've never believed in it."

"I said that when I was nineteen and upset about my parents' divorce. Did you mean everything _you_ said when you were nineteen?"

"Yes." He looks at her pointedly.

She sighs, toying with a coffee stained napkin. "...This doesn't have to change anything."

He almost laughs at that; isn't that what he usually says? "This changes _everything_, Elle."

The nickname slips out without him thinking but he'd have to be blind not to notice the sudden shift in her eyes and the subtle tilt of her head. "I know," she admits. "I just want us to still be friends after this, Craig."

_I don't want to just be your friend. Can't you see that? _But he can't say that to her, not when she's looking up at him now with this hopeful look in her eyes that Craig doesn't think he's ever seen before. So Craig forces himself to smile and nods, finally bringing his eyes to meet hers.

"Of course we will."


	16. What you feel and do are worlds apart

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots.

**A/N**: this one is a continuation from the last chapter.

* * *

_convergence n. - a meeting or junction; intersection  
_

Despite Ellie's many protestations, Paige and Marco insist on throwing her an engagement party, since they didn't learn about the engagement until three weeks before the actual wedding - a fact which Marco doesn't miss an opportunity to mention any chance he gets.

"So what's the deal with the quickie wedding?" Alex asks, taking a sip of her drink. She leans against the kitchen counter, eying her critically. "_…_You knocked up or something?"

"_No_." Alex raises an eyebrow in disbelief and Ellie rolls her eyes before taking a pointed sip of her rum and coke. "I'm _not, _Alex_._"

"If you say so," Alex shrugs. "For the record, don't ask me to do anything unless it involves the bachelorette party."

"Alex, I really don't think-"

"You're having one. Trust me." She smirks suddenly, her eyes narrowed knowingly. "Are you_…_ looking for someone?"

"What?"

"Please," Alex scoffs. "You know what I'm talking about."

"No, I really don't," Ellie lies. She watches across the room as Elliott laughs along with Spinner at a joke she can't hear. The fact that they seem to be getting along so well is a bit disturbing, to say the least. She takes what she hopes is a cursory and not too obvious glance around the room but trying to see what - _who_ - she's looking for. She sighs when she doesn't find him and finishes off the rest of her drink, wondering where he's gotten off to.

"Sure you don't," Alex murmurs leaning towards her, nodding sagely. "I saw him go out the back door to the porch."

Ellie looks down into her cup, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully before heading for the back door and slipping out before anyone can see her. And sitting on the steps, and staring up at the moon is Craig, just as Alex said he was. He takes a long pull from the drink in his hands before setting it off to the side. "Hey."

He turns to face her, somewhat startled. "Hey. Shouldn't you be inside?"

"I guess," she admits softly taking a seat next to him, "but I heard you were out here and I haven't really talked to you all night."

Craig nods, but doesn't say anything; Ellie holds back a sigh of frustration.

"Spinner is Elliott's new best friend."

"That's scary."

"You're telling me," Ellie laughs. She looks down at her fidgeting hands, feeling a bout of shame coursing through her at what she's about to say. But she knows she can't say this to anyone else. Not Marco or Paige, certainly not Alex. "_…_I don't think I want to get married."

Ellie can feel Craig's eyes on her but she can't bring herself to meet his gaze. _Coward, _she scolds herself. "Why are you telling _me_ this?"

"Because I don't know if I can tell _him_."

"Well, you're going to have to. Eventually."

"_…_I know." She holds back a sob until she feels Craig's arms wrapped around her and then Ellie finally lets it go, wondering how the hell she's going to tell Elliott how she really feels. "I know."


	17. I still hear the way he sang those songs

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots.

Disclaimer: song is "Elenore" by The Turtles.

* * *

_convergence n. - the state of coming together_

Even after ten minutes of listening to the sound of relentless knocking coming from the other side of her front door, she continues staring at the ceiling and mentally assures herself that he'll go away, that he'll give up eventually.

In the hallway, Marco sighs before poking his head into the open doorway of her bedroom. "Ellie, will you please just let him in?"

"No." She turns, stubbornly, back to the ceiling.

"Not even for the sake of my sanity?" Marco pleads.

"_No_, Marco," she insists. "He needs to know that he can't just act like an idiot and then make some grandiose gesture and expect for that to make up for it. This isn't a John Cusack movie."

"But you love John Cusack."

"So _not _the point, Marco." She stops when she hears the distinctive sound of someone clearing their throat and then, Craig's voice. More specifically, his singing voice. "Oh, god..."

_"You got a thing about you; I just can't live without you. I really want you, Elenore, near me. Your looks intoxicate me. Even though your folks hate me... There's no one like you, Elenore, really..."_

"He's getting louder. And you know, Mrs. Battaglia in 5B already thinks we're 'fornicating heathens living in sin'. Although how she hasn't picked up on the fact that I'm gay I have no idea..."

"Are you sure?"

"She gave me a speech yesterday about how I need to put a ring on your finger and stop 'buying the milk for free'."

"Seriously?"

Marco nods. "Ellie-"

"He'll stop eventually."

"No he won't." Marco sighs. "Elle, listen to that song. Let him in. _Talk_ to him."

_"Elenore, gee I think you're swell and you really do me well. You're my pride and joy... Elenore, can I take the time To ask you to speak your mind. Tell me that you love me better."_

_"I really think you're groovy_  
_Let's go out to a movie_  
_What do you say, now, Elenore, can we?_  
_They'll turn the lights way down low_  
_Maybe we won't watch the show_

_I think I love you, Elenore, love me-"_

_"Elenore, gee I think you're swell ah-hah ah-hah_  
_...hah!"_

She pulls the door open just as he finishes with a flourish, his arms spread wide and his mouth open. Ellie watches in bemusement with her hands planted on her hips. "You know, I have neighbors, Craig. ...Are you drunk?"

"No." Craig frowns. "…So I take it you don't like The Turtles?"

"The _'Elenore'_ in that song's name is spelled differently," Ellie replies instead, not really answering his question.

"The sentiment is still the same. Besides when I talked to your dad, he said-"

"You talked to my dad?" she interrupts, taken aback by this new tidbit of information.

"Sort of, yeah," he admits, with a shrug and a sheepish grin.

She rolls her eyes and bites down on her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling and grabs the sleeve of his shirt to pull him inside the apartment before he can start singing again.

"You're still not off the hook yet, though," Ellie warns him as his arm goes around her waist.

"I know." She feels him smiling against her neck as she closes the door behind them.


	18. Then it's a wide open road

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots.

* * *

_convergence n. - the state of having come together toward a common point_

She's trying to remember what she was thinking when she agreed to do this.

She _does_ remember that his wide smile was practically infectious – even for her – as he slung his arm around her waist, his hand settling itself along her hip where her shirt rode up just so and a sliver of her skin was exposed. "You know what we need, Elle?" he'd asked, pulling her closer. "A break." Time away, however brief, sounded like a brilliant idea coming from his lips and in spite of herself, Ellie somehow found herself agreeing, packing a bag, and tossing a goodbye over her shoulder to her mother that sounded much more casual than she felt once she climbed into the passenger seat of his Camaro.

She's wondering now why she ever believed that he, of all people, would know what she needs. Why the hell did she agree to _this_?

_'A Road Trip for the Brokenhearted'_ he'd called it. To which she replied with nothing more than a roll of her eyes and a disillusioned, "Seriously?"

"Please don't use that title for your next song. It's terrible," she'd added, for extra acidity.

"Come on, Elle, what else are you gonna do? Cart out a map of Degrassi in order to avoid running into Sean Cameron?"

"No, I figured I'd just go shopping with Manny and her new boy-toy," she snarked. "What's his name again?"

"I'm over Manny. I've _been_ over Manny. I've told you this already."

"Right. That's why this trip you're trying to drag me along is so aptly named _'Road Trip for the **Broken**hearted'_?"

"The title's a work in progress and I _am_ over Manny. We don't work; I mean, sure it took me a couple times to realize that…But _you're_ clearly not over Sean. Isn't that his shirt you're wearing?"

"He didn't even know who Franz Ferdinand was," Ellie replied defensively. "He only went to that concert because of me. He called them 'some German guy'!"

"Even still. Pining isn't like you, Ellie."

"I'm not pining."

"It's the summer before our senior year. You don't want to remember it as the _'Summer I Pined Away for Wannabe Eminem'_." She allowed a small smile to grace her lips at his new nickname for Sean. "We need a break from this place, Elle. Please come with me?"

"Again with the crappy titles. And I'm not pining. I'm _not_," she insisted stubbornly. Off his look of disbelief, she groaned out of frustration. "…Where would we even go?"

He'd smiled, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her into his side. She didn't - and doesn't - want to admit that it's become one of her favorite places to be. "Anywhere we want."

Now, she's staring out at the open road, watching the waves of heat rising from the asphalt off in the distance. They've been the only ones driving on this road so she knows the chances of flagging down anyone for help are pretty much nil.

"You know, they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. And I'm pretty sure the road to hell is, oh, that one." She points in the direction they were heading before the car decided to stall.

Ellie sends Craig a glare over the edge of her sunglasses, which have slid down the bridge of her nose, and settled perfectly on top of its tip.

He sighs. "You're not really helping."

She shrugs, not in the mood to be helpful. At all. "You're supposed to take your car in for tune-ups, like, every six months. I'm going to assume you haven't been doing that."

They've only been driving for about an hour, but have had to stop, at the very least, five times due to Craig's car trouble. "Rhonda's temperamental," he excuses with a shrug before leaning underneath the hood. "Like a certain other woman in my life." Ellie sighs, looking over his shoulder at the mess of oil and wires, her stomach growling. "All I have to do is connect this wire with this wire…"

"Please don't electrocute yourself."

He wipes his arm across his forehead. "Try and start it now."

She gets behind the wheel, turns the key and listens to nothing but the sound of the car stalling. "Craig, it's not working—"

"Try again!"

She does and, after a moment, 'Rhonda' comes back from the brink of auto-death. "Never doubt me, Ellie." She scoots over to the passenger seat, to allow him to take his place behind the wheel. He's grinning and she's rolling her eyes, hiding her smile behind her hand.

"You have grease on your forehead." Craig's grin falters for a moment before he shrugs. Ellie sighs, as if it's such a huge struggle, before using an old T-shirt she found on the floor of his car to wipe it off, her fingertips brushing against his warm skin. She picks up a pile of CD cases, many of them scratched, taped, and cracked, searching through them in an effort to distract herself. "Okay, Craig. It's your turn to pick. What are we listening to?"

"Yeah Yeah Yeahs or The White Stripes; can't decide." She slides in a CD after some thought then relaxes against the opening to _Fell in Love with a Girl._

"So what really happened with you and Sean?" At that, her head pops up from the seat it was resting her against, as she turns to face him.

"What really happened with you and Manny?" she deflects.

"_I_ already told you. Every embarrassing detail of her falling for some poet during what was supposed to be a family vacation," Craig relays without a hint of bitterness, "and the two of them getting matching tattoos."

"What did you ever see in her again? Besides the obvious."

"Don't change the subject."

"We just...grew apart. That happens, you know. Besides, the fact that he's now getting back together with his _middle school_ girlfriend just proves that we were never on the same page, anyway."

"Emma's actually very mature-"

"_Don't_ defend him."

Craig shrugs, turning back to the road. "I wasn't."

Ellie's choice of response is to turn up the radio dial, _The Same Boy You've Always Known _drowning out any chances of conversation for the moment. It's hard for her to admit that his inquiry about Sean is bothering her. Because it is; but not for the reason Craig seems to think.

It was weeks before the actual break up when Ellie knew that she and Sean were over. She'd been out with Craig (and Marco, Paige and the rest) but when she pulled out her phone to call her mother and found a few texts from Sean she'd felt a sinking feeling that the fact that she was out with Craig would be an issue. She'd been right.

"Hey. I-"

"Hey." His tone was quiet, which didn't bode well for her and she'd sighed then. "I guess you were busy?"

"Yeah...the volume on my phone was down and I-"

"Was with Craig."

"...Right," she'd admitted. "But it wasn't _just_ me and Craig-"

"Are you, like, into him, Ellie?"

"What?"

"It's just every time I call you, you're _with_ him-"

"Not _every_ time, Sean."

"And the way you're always talking about him-"

"We're _friends_, Sean. Just friends." He didn't believe her. Thinking about it now, as she sneaks glances at Craig from behind her sunglasses, Ellie can't say she blames Sean. Not really. Actually, she's more surprised he didn't break up with her sooner.

Craig's hand on top of hers, resting on top of the console, startles her out of her thoughts. "You hungry yet?"

She shrugs. "...I could eat."

They pull into some diner that looks like it either has a 50's theme or hasn't quite caught up with recent times. Craig, of course, loves it and drags Ellie over to stand in front of the jukebox. "Come on, Elle. One picture."

"My hair's a mess," she excuses lamely.

He throws his arm over her shoulder, not before giving her an odd look. "What are you talking? You look as good as you always do. Picture; come on." He pulls her closer, her cheek - which she's sure is probably flushed red by now - resting against his and the jukebox in clear view behind them. "Say cheese." The flash from his camera nearly blinds her but she feels herself smile nonetheless.

Their waitress seats them at a booth and after she takes their order - two deluxe cheeseburgers, fries, and milkshakes - makes a comment on what a couple they make, and that "the picture was cute, too".

Craig doesn't bother to correct the woman's assumption and Ellie finds she doesn't mind it, either.


	19. You saw her, she saw you

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots.

* * *

converge - as lines that are not parallel

He stops short suddenly, Manny's hand still clasped within his, their fingers interlocked. His mind barely registers the squeak of surprise she makes when she collides with him as he takes in the unexpected sight of Ellie, seated at a table practically in the middle of the Dot, with a guy he doesn't think he's ever seen before.

"Oh. You think they're on a date?"

"No. I mean, I don't think so. She would have told me if-" he cuts himself off, suddenly finding himself wondering when the last time he and Ellie actually talked was.

It's not a good feeling.

"Let's go say hi!"

"No. Manny, wait-"

But she's dragging him forward now and before Craig can tell her just how bad of an idea this is, they're standing in front of Ellie's table - right in front of her and her date. "Ellie, hi! Who's your friend?"

Ellie stops, mid-laugh, turning to face the two of them with narrowed eyes and an arched eyebrow. "...This is Jake."

"Hey."

"I'm Manny." She rests her hand on Craig's forearm before adding, "This is Craig, my boyfriend. We're friends of Ellie's."

Craig notices Ellie shaking her head out of the corner of his eye.

"Number four!"

"That's mine. I'll just be a minute," Ellie murmurs. Jake nods and Manny takes her seat. Craig follows Ellie to the takeout line as she waits for her sandwich. "So how long have you known Jake? I mean, is this like a date or..." Craig trails off, stopping the second he sees the cold look in Ellie's eyes.

"You have _got _to be kidding me."

"I-"

"You basically ignore me for weeks on end just to have a - what is it? - fourth shot at a relationship whose only end is crash and burn and you think you have _any_ right to ask me that, Craig?" Ellie hisses.

"I was just-"

"No, no you weren't 'just' anything." She shakes her head, quickly, lowering her voice. "_You_ kissed _me. _And then you went back to Manny. You don't get to change your mind again and think I'm going to wait around for you."

She's right, he knows, which is why he has nothing to say.

The line shuffles forward.


	20. There's nowhere else you'd rather be

Convergence

Summary: He pulls her into him and, out of curiosity - or, quite possibly, masochism - she lets him. Series of Craig/Ellie one-shots.

* * *

converge - to incline toward each other

He watches her feet disappear beneath the cool sand, the tips of her toenails - painted in light pink nail polish - the only parts that are visible.

He leans back enough so that his weight is resting on his palms, watching her as she draws nonsensical patterns in the sand with her finger. The sun is hanging low in the sky above their heads, and the reflection of the light looks good on her bare shoulders - silently, he sends a prayer of thanks to Paige for demanding that she wear a bathing suit, and the fact that it's a simple black vintage-style one piece makes it perfectly suited for her.

And then she shivers, grabbing his weather-worn leather jacket from underneath him and tossing it over her shoulders. He grins. "I think Paige is beckoning us to come over," Craig observes.

Ellie rolls her eyes, smirking, as she leans into him. "Well, she can wait. Isn't the point of Senior Ditch Day to do what you _want_?"

"...You know what I want?"

"Do tell, Mr. Manning," Ellie murmurs.

He smiles, thinking. "Mhm...several hot dogs. And greasy, greasy fries. With gravy."

"That sounds just disgusting enough to work." She grabs his hand and they stumble onto a boardwalk that seems to be setting up for a carnival.

"People are staring."

"Not really that surprised. I mean, we don't exactly look like beach bunnies."

"Well, if you wanted to make an effort to change that, you could go without my jacket."

Ellie pulls a face, that is half scandalized and half faux-offended. "Never."

A scraggly middle-aged man is leaning next to a hot dog stand and waves them over, eager to get some customers. "Four hot dogs, please. Two with everything; two with just mustard," Craig orders. Ellie smiles, glad that he remembered. "Oh, and a side order of fries."

They find a bench away from most of the pre-carnival chaos and sit, hot dogs in hand and the plate of fries between them. "Look, the Ferris wheel is up." Craig nudges her in his excitement and points to the Ferris wheel off in the distance, lighting up for just a moment. Ellie turns to face him, noting with a small smirk the smudge of ketchup near his chin.

"I don't think I've ever been on one."

"Seriously?" She shrugs, his jacket falling off her her shoulder. "Well, then, in three weeks, when this place opens... I'll take you."

"Yeah?" she asks, her smile almost uncharacteristically bashful.

"Yeah," he promises with a grin.

(And he does.)


End file.
